Crystal memories
by everetza
Summary: Years after solving the Labyrinth, Sarah is contained in a facility more ruthless than anything she experienced at the hands of Jareth. Left with only her memories to sustain her, she reflects on the events that led her there and the regrets she has.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: standard disclaimer applies. If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't, it is.

A/N: More chapters will be up pretty frequently, but they will be short (although not as short as this one) because that's just how I write. Enjoy :)

**Unknown date 2008**

Reverently, I twirled the clear crystal. It glinted regally in the light; indifferent to the memories it stirred in my broken mind. Such beauty. Tears forced a path through the thick grime on my face. Such beauty did not belong here. Scarred brick seemed to lean in upon me. An illusion, I know, but for all purposes true. I was trapped. Contained, they would say. Destined to end my pitiful existence surrounded by the stench of my own mess. What did it matter it had not ended quite yet? If those walls fell, who would care? No, I was alone. There was nothing left for me, not anymore. Stifling a sob, I curled around the one thing of beauty left to me in all the world and allowed myself to be sunk beneath the tide of memories.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: standard disclaimer applies. If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't, it is.

A/N: pretty boring chapter, I know, but don't worry, the action starts soon :)

**17****th**** December 2007**

My name is Sarah Williams. Conqueror of the Labyrinth, believer of dreams, controller of wishes and right now… bored out of my freaking mind. Because, you see, it's been three years since all that.

Heaving a sigh, I rise. Empty beer bottles litter the round, mementos of my eighteenth year of living.

"Bloody hell!" I mutter, staring in exasperation at the drunken scrawls on my once- clean living room wall. Never again. Never again was I hosting a party at my own damn house. Dragging my feet, I set about the tiresome chore of cleaning.

**1****st**** January 2008**

A new year. A chance to redirect, learn, discover. Funny thing, all I wanted was to go back. Magic, mystery, marvel. What a fool I was to let it all slip away! Even my friends; Hoggle, Sir Didymus, all of them…. even they were gone now.

About a year after solving the Labyrinth, after leaving without a backwards glance all I had longed for my whole life, I went on a family vacation. Just a couple weeks, that's all. But when I came back, they were just gone. Hours I stood by the mirror, throat raw from hoarse whispers, eyes red from tears. They never returned.

It was on this day, the New Year, I knew, beyond doubt, I had to get back. Better yet, I knew how. Face set in resolve, I dialed the well-known number. Impatiently waiting for the answer, trying to still the rapid and fearful beating of my heart.

"Tim, it's me, Sarah. You should come over this weekend; and bring the video camera, it'll be good for a laugh," his enthusiastic affirmative reply barely registered. This was where it started. And if it ended where I thought it would, it may very well be the last laugh we had in a while.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: standard disclaimer applies. If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't, it is.

A/N: Ok, here we go. Now the fun stuff starts ;)

**3****rd**** January 2008**

Seconds ticked by, sounding in unison to the drumming of my thumbs. Each tick drove my mind further into a flip-flopping frenzy. Stop! Danger! Inside my head the voice yelled and fought, striving to be heard through the mist of stubborn determination. I didn't even miss a beat.

Hours later, by which time my head twitched at every creak, I heard it. Blissfully sharp- the ringing of my doorbell drifting to my ears like a lifeline at sea. In a moment, I was there. Wrenching the door open, staring hungrily out at… a very confused Tim.

"Sar's, you alright, you look a little... uh, well-" I impatiently cut off his garbled explanation, waving him inside with quick, jerky movements of my hands. As he passed, I scanned his backpack. Yes, there it was! The sure shape of the camera pressed tight against the fabric of his bag. Seeing such concrete proof of what I was about to do caused dots to swim into my vision, my breathing coming more rapidly.

"Sar's, Sarah, Sarah, what's wrong?!" Tim's anxious voice cut across my inward reverie. Forcing a smile, I shook my head and led him to the garden. After repeatedly asking if I was alright, Tim reluctantly agreed to help me set up the camera. His voice created a much needed distraction.

The mid-afternoon sun played patterns on the camera's lens. Across the lawn, Tim stood awkwardly, waiting for me to reveal to purpose of this activity. Of course, I never would. Not to him. Frantically, my mind scrambled to think of excuses to send him away; in my worry, I hadn't really thought things through. Now I was stuck with an anxious friend watching my every move. Not how I had imagined things would go.

"Damn," I muttered under my breath.

"What was that, Sar's?" This time, the sound drifted more like fog than a lifeline; oppressive, closing in around me. Thinking fast, I responded.

"Ugh, I think you were right. I don't feel so flash. Could you maybe, possibly, head down to the diary and pick me up some painkillers?" My voice rose to a girlish titter as I fluttered my eyelashes. Tim roared with laughter, loping across the lawn to swing his arm round my shoulders.

"Sure thing, Sar's, you little brat!" In fake fury, I swung a wild punch, which he dodged, laughing all the way. As he ran backwards toward the door, I gave in and laughed with him. My laughter turned into tears as he left. God, I was going to miss this.

Heavily, I returned my gaze to the single standing object left in my pitiful garden. The camera seemed to loom, much too black and stark and _real._ My eyes clouded over. Slowly, my hand crept toward record, feeling the smooth and unyielding surface. I pressed it. Shuffling like a woman walking to the gallows, I placed myself in front of the softly whirring machine. And I talked. Every detail of my time in the Labyrinth, from the awful words to Jareth's too-tight pants. Every detail of his palace, his labyrinth, anything I could remember.

Smothering silence announced the end of my recounts. The camera's red light no longer flashing, I turned and solemnly marched, head down, inside; the tape clasped in my sweaty grasp. Not breaking stride, I intoned,

"This is what you have driven me to, Jareth. Let me back, or I will make sure no-one ever unwittingly speaks those words again." I didn't even realize I had been moved until my head collided with a scarred brick wall.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: standard disclaimer applies. If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't, it is.

A/N: thanks to all who have reviewed; this is my first fanfic so all feedback is very much appreciated. Well, enjoy! :)

**5****th**** January 2008**

Distantly, I felt cramps begin to form. I had been curled into a tight ball, hands desperately grabbing my empty stomach, for days. Thirst had long ago overridden dignity. It created a pervading pain which seemed to tear across my very nerves. In fact, I was so focused on my pain, I almost didn't notice a small bottle of water appear at my feet. Lightning quick, I struck. Tearing the lid off and gulping down the liquid, heedless of my sore and protesting muscles. It was gone all too fast.

Licking my cracked lips, I began examining the room with a vigor that had not been present since the first few terrifying hours. When I had awoken; trapped, alone, with thirst just starting to take hold, desperation just starting to give way to hopelessness. Slowly, my fingers shimmied across the bricks, working upwards. There were no vents or windows. Just four solid walls. I didn't know how air got in or out. Magic, I suppose.

Suddenly, my hand fell forward. I stared in a mix of horror and fascination at the brick moving like liquid around my hand. Hope alight in my eyes, I stepped forward. Trying to use force to push through the wall.

"Ow!" I rasped, rubbing my sore nose. After some experimentation, I concluded the 'hole' was a circle about ten centimeters in diameter. Bracing against the solid brick, I reached farther in with my hand, wiggling up to the elbow. Just as it was in as far as possible, my fingertips brushed something smooth and cool. With great caution, I attempted to roll what seemed to be a sphere of some sort toward me. Elated triumph took hold as I maneuvered it to within the safety of my palm and drew it out.

Eyes wide, breath quick, I examined my find. It was a crystal ball; immediately the image of Jareth throwing and twirling crystal balls came to mind. This one was identical.

"Jareth?" I whispered meekly into its surface. Tears filled my eyes, my voice beginning to break and shiver.

"J-jareth? I wish I could go home. God, I just want to go home again! Jareth!" Frustration pooled inside me and I screamed; a low and pitiful sound. Shaking the ball, spinning it, threatening it, all to no avail.

Defeated, I slid back to the floor, feeling the cold bricks create new grazes on my arms. What was it for? If it couldn't do anything than what the hell was it for? Wait! What if it needed something more? Another component, perhaps? Propelled again by hope, I rose and shoved my hand back to the hole… only to have it meet with solid brick. My breath caught, mind spinning.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Frantic, I spread my hands across first that wall, then another, searching all four before slapping my empty hand against one in defeat. Grasped in the other lay the crystal; quiet, unmoved by my frustration and loss.

It was only when my energy finally gave and I allowed myself to start drifting into sleep that a sliver of happiness worked its way back to me. Whether working or not, held in my hand was hope. Held in my hand was magic. With that thought producing a weary smile, I fell into a dream of magical lands with cells of crystal.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: standard disclaimer applies. If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't, it is.

A/N: Jareth finally pops up this chapter! Couldn't keep our king-of-tight-pants away forever! So, here we go again… please R&R! :)

**Unknown date, 2008**

As the days passed, how many I was unsure of as there were no windows, my life settled into a rhythm. Life, huh. More like survival. What I had here could not really be called 'living'. Just as the hunger and thirst began to tear at my insides, a flavorless sludge with a meager amount of water would appear at my feet. My pain became my only judgment of the passage of time. After I had replenished my energy on the basic sustenance, I would contemplate the crystal, search the walls. Finally, I would sleep the dreamless sleep of those with no hope left to dream of; the dreamless sleep of the dead.

In the empty time, as I had come to call it, where I could no longer force myself to sleep, where the food was gone, the bowl disappeared after my completion of the meal; these were the times I thought. Most common in my musings was the cold face of the Goblin King. As the days passed, I came to realize what I could never have seen before, in my one-track determination to save my brother. That maybe, just maybe, I had been the cruel one. Not only in wishing away my brother, but in my actions toward Jareth. While I by no means cleared him of all blame, I too had acted an arrogant and uncaring part. Ignoring his offers, ignoring his efforts. Ignoring everything, in fact, not totally concerned with what _I_ wanted. Even in the years after, I made no attempt to find out about him. Whenever Hoggle or Sir Didymus would mention his name, I would shut down, refusing to talk. Now that chance was gone. Haltingly, I allowed myself to remember those long- forgotten songs. Songs I had oppressed within my mind, feeling shame at my addiction to someone I associated with the height of malice.

"There's such a sad love, deep in your eyes; a kind of pale jewel, open and closed with your eyes…" My voice was a whisper, meandering up my throat and out into the lonely prison.

"I'll place the sky within your eyes…" As I continued, my voice grew heavy with tears, falling off my face to drip onto the crystal clutched in my hand.

"There's such a fooled heart, beating so fast in search of new dreams…" By now the tears were falling freely out of my closed eyes.

"Sarah." With a jolt, I spun. Where, where, where! Was I imagining it? My heart was beating hard and fast, my palms sweating. Labored breathing followed my search of the cell, but it was empty.

"God, I'm going insane. I'm trapped in a cell with monkey crap for food and I'm going insane." My voice rose in pitch at this, squeaking like a trapped mouse.

"Well, at least there's one positive; now I'm insane, I can finally join the Republican Party and my dad can stop yelling at me." My forced grunt of laughter was joined by that of a low and melodic voice. Jareth. Slowly, fearing that I would find it empty and confirm that I was crazy, I lowered my glance to the crystal in my hands. Jareth's face stared up at me from the clear trails my tears had left. The rest remained empty, showing only the cell through its surface.

"Now, Sarah, if you think that's bad, you should hear some of my goblins. A few kicks here and there and they act like it's the end of the world; too bad your brother didn't stay- I would have enjoyed teaching him what a true ruler is." His voice was stronger now, louder. And as always, superior. As if my belief had allowed it to fully enter the room, until it reverberated off the very walls. However, as I heard his words, it was barely within my power not to shatter the crystal on the wall. How dare he! Voice trembling, I addressed the smirk which had maneuvered itself until it was in a fully cleared trail of crystal, unhindered by patches of cell.

"You will _never_ get him, Jareth." When his expression did not change, I looked away.

"How long will you keep me here?" Cursing myself for the quiver I was unable to keep from my voice, I waited.

"Sarah. It is not I who keep you there. I may taunt and trick, but I would never…. I do not keep you there. You made a mistake when you threatened us, Sarah. I do not have the power to save you now." I was surprised to hear regret in his voice, but this was swamped by the fear that now plagued me. It was bad enough when I thought it was Jareth; I knew how dangerous he was, how merciless he could be. But at least I did _know._ Now I was faced with an unknown being who meant me harm and who, somehow, was powerful enough that even Jareth feared to face him. I felt like somebody had told me Barney had got tired of puns and took a flamethrower to the local orphanage. Head throbbing with the new information, I felt my eyes turn cold.

"Who. Who has done this?" My voice no longer quivered, it was even, monotone, but there was no mistaking the tension and demand which lay below it.

"I cannot tell you that, Sarah. I take a risk even talking to you now." For a moment anger seemed to flicker in his eyes, but it was gone in half a second. "All I can tell you is that there is worse to come, but when it gets to where you cannot bear it, Sarah, I will be here, waiting for you, until you are free again. I will wait for you. But I cannot be seen by them. When they are there, do not contact me, or all will be lost. Do you understand me, Sarah?" His voice was demanding, low, pained.

"Who? Who are _them_, Jareth!?" Fear had turned into frustration, anger, at the arrival of someone to blame. I needed to know who it was.

"Do you understand, Sarah?" It was a growl, leaving no room for hesitation.

"Yes, but-"

"Good." It was all he said, then he was gone. Once again I shook the crystal, yelled at it, even sang to it. The only thing that stopped my efforts short was the sound of displaced air behind me. I was no longer alone. Whoever 'they' were… they had arrived.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: standard disclaimer applies. If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't, it is.

A/N: New chapter up! Next will hopefully be up by the end of today, maybe tomorrow. Thanks to notwritten, sylphxpression and hazlgrnLizzy for great reviews! On a side note, if you're wondering, there won't be the dates anymore, for a while, because Sarah doesn't know when it is and it would be kind of pointless to constantly repeat 'unknown date'. So… Enjoy! :)

I gulped. Above me stood three men. Three really _big_, really menacing men. Two were decked out in full black armor, swords clipped to their waists. They flanked the third, a man in classy black clothes, all outlined in gold. His hair was a blond which was almost white, cropped close to the skull, and he had scars which twirled on his face as if purposeful. Eerily, his eyes were hooded, as if seen through sunglasses. Yet somehow, I still knew he was looking, no- staring, at me… and it was not a friendly stare.

"Hello, prisoner. Welcome to your new home." His grin showed pointed teeth, forcing images into my head which I did not want to see. Not ever.

"Who-" I gulped, forcing my voice to calm with deep breaths. It did nothing for my too-wide eyes.

"Who are you?" I finally got out, albeit in a whisper.

"Who am I? I'm disappointed. So unoriginal. One prisoner like the next, I suppose." He puffed his chest and stood straight.

"I," he began, pausing to watch with amusement as I tried to subtly inch away. He grabbed me by the collar, hefted me up until my feet dangled in scare contact with the floor and answered,

"I am the Goblin King, prisoner." I did a double- take. What? But… Jareth. He was just messing with me. He wasn't going to answer me- wouldn't give me the slight comfort of a title to put to my tormentor. Still, maybe if I pushed… forcing myself to adopt an arrogant expression, despite my fairly precarious position, I responded.

"Hah. Unlucky for you, you picked the wrong man to impersonate. I happen to have met the _true_ Goblin King. Jareth-" I was dumped to the ground, my chin forced by cold fingers to meet the eyes of the white haired man. With surprise, I saw his face was distorted in anger.

"Jareth," he began, spitting the word out with distaste,

"Jareth is nothing more than a pawn. A public face, if you will, for all the dirty goblins and petulant humans to complain to. He is a _lie_, prisoner!" The man turned with a swish of his coat, facing the guards behind him.

"I have no patience for another ignorant right now. It is time to leave." As gold light began to surround the three, his head turned toward me.

"Oh, and prisoner? It might be wise for you to think on why I have told you all this delicate information. It may help you to understand your place here." The last thing I heard before he left was his cruel laughter, echoed by the guards.

Scrambling to my feet to watch their departure, I thought over his last words. What did he… what did the _Goblin King _mean? With a feeling of dread, an answer began to formulate in my mind. It didn't matter what he told me because there was no way for me to pass it on. I was a prisoner here… and I was never getting out.

As tears began to form, a hesitant voice called to me.

''Sarah? I'm sorry." Jareth's face looked up at me from the surface of the crystal, looking haunted and miserable. Softly, his voice rose in song. I fell to sleep to the singing of my one-time enemy, one-time hero, and now… I fell asleep to the singing of a lie.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: standard disclaimer applies. If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't, it is.

A/N: This chapter is mainly a conversation, which will hopefully answer some questions about what's going on and set up for the rest of the story. It's getting into the main plot now. I'll try to keep updating regularly, but some updates may be a few days apart now because I need to think the plot over and make sure it all makes sense, know where it's going etc. Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed! Enjoy! :)

I woke to yet another dull meal set at my feet. After slurping it down, for the first time in many days, I didn't bother to search the walls. Instead, I thought. Going over everything that had been said, hoping he may have dropped some information that could get me out. I found myself coming back to the flash of anger when he talked of Jareth. If Jareth was a pawn, nothing more, why was he so angry? Surely it was even him who positioned Jareth if he was the real king? Shaking my head, I decided it was time for answers.

"Jareth!" I whispered, shaking the crystal

"Jareth, can you hear me?" I felt it as a physical shock when I saw his face. He looked tired and wan, nothing like the proud and regal man I had come to know.

"Sarah." His voice matched his face, a slow monotone drawl. The questions I had been about to ask flew from my head as I looked on in worry.

"Are- are you ok? You look kind of… umm…" My voice trailed off as I stared at the dark circles beneath his eyes. For a split second, the crystal went blank, a flash of blue-white taking it up. When it cleared, Jareth was once again handsome and composed, his face devoid of any signs of weariness.

"You caught be before I had time to cast my morning charms, Sarah. Were you anyone else, I would have thought this meant it was an emergency." He looked at the empty cell behind her and sighed. "Somehow, in this case, I'm guessing not." I blushed, looking down at my hands.

"Sorry, I don't really know what time it is here, there's no windows, so…" I stumbled over my mumbled apology, still a bit put-off by what I had seen. As I watched, a small clock carved itself into the edge of the crystal. Startled, I glanced at Jareth to see him wearing his signature smirk. With a disquieting feeling, I realized it was fake. Everything I knew of him was fake, a lie.

"Well, if you're not, umm, busy or something could I ask you a few things?" Here his face shut down, a deadly seriousness creeping over it.

"Ask me as many questions as you like, Sarah. The uncertainty here is whether I will answer them. There is certain information that, were I to share, would draw the attention of your capturers. And trust me; theirs is not an attention you want." His voice was cold, but not cruel. Gathering my courage, I set back to my original plans. Focusing my eyes straight at Jareth, I started with what was foremost in my mind.

"Was he telling the truth, Jareth? Is he really the Goblin King, not you?" A simple nod was his response, his eyes not wavering from mine.

"Ok, then… when he told me, he… he looked _angry_; I mean really angry. Why would he be angry about you playing Goblin King? Isn't he the one who set you there in the first place?" Jareth's eyes bored into mine, seemingly caught in indecision.

"No. He is not the one who sets assignments. His position itself, powerful as it is, is merely an assignment of sorts. I couldn't explain this to you even if I could talk freely, Sarah, but there is more out there then you can imagine. What your people came to know as gods and deities, _we_ came to know as bosses, owners, even relatives. But they are not divine, Sarah. They are most definitely not forgiving. Suffice to say, the power balance between me and Gordin- that is his name, has not always been as it is now, and there is reason to believe it will change again, soon. You must wait for that. I know what it is like to be a prisoner, Sarah, and I will free you as soon as I am able. It is my hope this will be before you are broken."He glanced behind him, looking back with nervous eyes. She started to ask another question, desperate to know what he meant, when she would be free, but he cut her off.

"I have to go now. I will speak to you soon." For a moment, he hesitated, his eyes shining with something. Finally, he whispered,

"Stay strong, Sarah. Stay strong." With that he was gone, and I was left alone with more questions than answers.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: standard disclaimer applies. If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't, it is.

A/N: Sorry this one took a few days to post, I had a bit of writer's block. In this chapter, I've tried to sum up some of what happened for the next while so it doesn't get repetitive. However, I'm not so used to that style of writing, hopefully it's still ok and I'll be getting back to present tense more dramatic stuff next chapter. Thanks a huge bunch to my reviewers, you've been really helpful in keeping me writing! Enjoy! :)

Gordin visited every few meal times after that. He wouldn't say much. Just stand there, tapping his fingers and gazing at me with hooded eyes. Repeatedly reminding me that it was my fault I would never see my family or friends again.

"Fool. Thinking you could manipulate _us_. Is your re-entry into our world what you wanted, prisoner?" As always, his voice was clipped, condescending, cruel. Even though I knew it was what he wanted, I could never stop the guilty tears that formed. Images of my family grief- stricken spiraled through my head, engulfing any sense of dignity or tact until I was a whimpering ball before the three men. Because it was true. The family I loved, had sworn in my own mind to protect, were now being dumped in a world of pain because of _me._ Gordin simply grinned wider the more tears I cried. It was a game to him, one he knew he had long ago won.

All that kept me sane in that time was that after the uncomfortable scrutiny, the mortification of facing the three men, I had Jareth. While they were there, I leaned over the crystal in a corner, blocking it from view. As soon as they left, I whipped it out and called him in a desperate, tear- soaked voice. Simple sympathy was all he offered, providing comfort in the form of soft words and warm mismatched eyes.

At the times Gordin had not been there for a while, when I had paced and rested and eaten; ridding myself of the oppressive thoughts his visits created, that was when I sought answers. Once again, I turned to the only source available to me. Jareth. Over time, I came to understand more of the system in which he, and now I, lived. I came to see that the man I had always seen as a king, a ruler, was in this world the equivalent of middle- management in a small business. He told me of how his tendency to sympathize with 'inferiors'- humans, like me-had got him 'demoted', allowing Gordin to take his place. Tension was obvious when he talked of Gordin. Rivalry had raged between them for centuries, Gordin disdainful of Jareth's soft heart and Jareth disgusted by Gordon's innate cruelty. However, whenever I asked of the power change he spoke of, what was happening with the 'bosses', he would shut down. Saying only that he was not free to talk and soon making an excuse to end the communication for the night.

I'm not sure how many days passed in this pattern, but I was very aware the day it changed. Like always, my meal appeared at my feet and I waited nervously to see if Gordin would follow. A flash of light. Wearily, I squeezed my eyes shut, working up my courage as a soft groan escaped me. Gradually, I raised my gaze, already envisioning the mocking smile that would greet me. I never got past the feet. Cool cloth surrounded my eyes, pulling tight. Tighter. What was happening?!

"No…No!" Shock wearing off, I began to struggle, my wild punches hitting only air.

"Hey! Hey, what're you doing, what're you-agh!" A sharp fist exploded the side of my face. Momentarily stunned, I was dragged to my feet by two strong pairs of arms. It was only as my feet were lifted from the floor that I realized something that sent my mind into a fit of unhindered terror. There were two people carrying me. So why didn't I hear any sound of footsteps, or breathing, or _anything_? I listened harder, but all I could hear was my own heartbeat, reverberating off the scarred brick walls.


End file.
